Chris Parham , Eucharia Donnery

★Chris Parham >
Are short plays of any use to students in the English language classroom? During the pandemic I wrote 10 shorts plays and used in one of my online lower intermediate universities classes during second semester. Before class students were assigned the task of reading the chosen short play for the week and writing a synopsis of the plot, and when students ‘entered’ the classroom they undertook a range of activities including – a cultural presentation (on the theme of the play), a rehearsed reading, comprehension questions, vocabulary and storytelling activities, language focus, role play and post discussion. This workshop is in two parts. First, we try out some of the activities I have mentioned – read one play as a group, review the comprehension questions, reread the play in pairs, and finally undertake some of the communicative and language activities. Second, I will briefly introduce the rest of the plays and some of the other activities I did to supplement the term – including reviewing a recorded play, and writing and performing a short play in small groups on Zoom.
This workshop is for students and teacher of EFL. Hopefully, participants will find something of relevance for their online teaching.

Chris Parham is from London. He mainly works at Aoyama Gakuin University but also teaches at Daitō Bunka University, KIFL, Shirayuri University, Temple University and Aichi Sangyo University. Before the pandemic he was very active with his theatre company Black Stripe Theater. ***********************

★Eucharia Donnery >
How can we best support our students’ linguistic learning journeys as we simultaneously struggle with our own teaching online during a pandemic? Process drama is a highly structured technique that can be used to explore various social themes, and this workshop helps participants to explore the ramifications of Covid 19 in a psychologically safe environment. This workshop starts with self-reflection, a mental self-scan of how teachers are adapting and coping with the new challenges of teaching online. It is aimed at teachers who are new to using drama: from energizing ice-breakers to project-based process drama, ending with cool-down activities.

Part I of this workshop highlights how we can best engage and motivate our students during these unusual times through online drama-based activities in the mixed-ability Japanese EFL classroom.
Part II brings the participants through the structure of process drama, before working together in work together to explore the selected theme. This creates opportunities for participants to use language in situations and relationships within an online context.
Part III offers some ideas on how to close a process drama project by evoking a spirit of curiosity in the learners.